It was about time the Scout, although a quality case at the time, got an overhaul. The case needed a USB 3.0 connector and there were some redesigns to ensure all cards fit inside. Let’s see whether the new Scout is a worthy successor.

The new Scout is available in two colors – Gunmetal Grey and Full Midnight Black. The left panel has a different window but both have been redesigned. Of course, the case comes with a handle that made the original famous.

We’d like to thank Cooler Master Balkans, who’ve made sure we received the Scout 2 in Gunmetal Grey, our color of choice. Note that we took pictures in direct sunlight – light reflections depend on materials and our shots emphasize the contrast between metal and plastic.

Most of the front panel is meshed, which is common for modern cases. The company went for a design that relies on wide frames, angled lines and curved edges that gave the Scout 2 some character.

The case has three 5.25’’ bays on the front and room for two 120mm/one 140mm fan. The plastic has somewhat of a matte finish so dust and prints will not be a big problem.

The front panel has another mesh in the back serving as dust protection. It’s much finer so you won’t see it until you really take a closer look.

5.25’’ bay covers must be taken out from the inside of the front panel, so any changes will require removing front panel it.

Taking off the front panel is easy and only takes the usual tug on the bottom. However, the Scout 2 is only 1cm off the ground and we had to lift it before doing so. The picture below shows the bottom part of the front panel much better.

The front panels has a CM Storm logo as well as another detail – a red LED. It’s very faint though so it didn’t bother us, not even in the dark. However, it’s not connected to the built in LED toggle switch so it cannot be turned off – unlike the one in the rear panel fan.

A nice layout, although it would perhaps be practical if the LED shined towards the I/O panel – it would make finding your way around in the dark much easier.

The Scout 2 supports all the latest and greatest standards – two USB 3.0 connectors, two USB 2.0 connectors, audio out and mic in. The sliding lid helps protect the connectors from dust.

The I/O panel and its connectors look well made. We’ve seen cases that come with sloppily implemented panels and melted plastic but CM Storm’s Scout 2 is as clean as a whistle.

The front panel will take two 120mm or a single 140mm fan. A 14cm fan can be mounted in the front panel in two positions – top or bottom, so users can choose where it suits them best.

CM Storm used toolless mechanisms for 5.25’’ devices. The locking mechanism is simple yet effective as it locks drives using pins instead of screws.

The top panel and the handles were what gave the original Scout much of its character, and long it may continue.

The handle is rubber coated and comfortable. We didn’t find any info on how much the handle can take, but we got the impression that it would easily handle the Scout 2, even if we filled it with rocks.

The handle was moved backwards, which provided better balance when carrying the case. Once it’s is filled with gear, the weight will balance itself nicely.

The top panel has two USB 3.0 connectors, two USB 2.0 connectors, audio out, mic in, power, restart and LED toggle controls. The Scout 2 is a mid tower case, 51.7cm tall, so we had no trouble reaching the controls when we put it under the table.

The top panel has air exhausts with removable dust filters.

Note that the filters are held in place with clips that must be handled with care so as not to break them.

This filter doesn’t have any finer mesh on the inside, as is the case with the front panel. The top panel holds room for two 120mm fans, but they don’t come stocked.

We wanted to see the top of the case and build quality so we removed the plastic.

What we’ve seen is a job well done. There isn’t a single inch of sloppy execution to be found and everything is tight with no sharp edges.

The Scout 2 has rethought its predecessor’s panels and moved the fans to the bottom, so as to provide better cooling for graphics cards. The window is tinted and is large enough to provide a look at the most interesting part of your rig.

The left side panel will take two 120mm fans.

The side panels are designed to allow as much room inside as possible. Fans on the side panel will not get in the way of graphics cards and the case is left with much more room for cables.

The side panels are held in place with two screws. The panels are sliding ones and are easy to take off and put back, but we though a latch on the side panel, like the one on HAF XM, would've been a useful and welcome addition.

The Scout 2 has 7+1 expansion slots on the rear panel. The eight one has a special cover called the Storm Guard, and it’s great protection against those who think about stealing your mouse or keyboard. The top of the panel has two watercooling holes, often used to route cables. Hier is housed a 120mm fan, the only one that comes stocked with the Scout 2.

The expansion slots are sealed, which does indeed suggest military style design. Almost all the cases we’ve tested lately came with mesh covers for improved airflow.

There is a dust filter placed underneath the PSU spot, but although it can be removed without opening the case, it’s difficult to take out. Again, we had to lift the case since 1cm is not enough room to squeeze in our fingers. We had the same problem with CM Storm Trooper.

The Scout 2 is stable on its feet, which may be a bit on the short side. The used rubber prevents vibration and sliding.

The three 5.25“ slots come with simple but sufficient locking mechanisms. The pins are long enough to keep 5.25’’ devices in their place.

The two HDD cages combined hold up to seven 3.5’’, or six if you choose to use one 2.5’’ HDD/SSD.

The Scout 2 can take any graphics card, courtesy of a removable HDD cage. The limitation is 287mm / 11.3 inch (with HDD cage); 399mm / 15.7 inch (without HDD cage). The original Scout didn’t support graphics longer than 270mm.

The Scout 2 doesn’t have the 5.25’’-to- 3.5’’ adapter that came with the original Scout. Once you remove the top HDD cage, you’re left with three 3.5’’ slots. If the adapter was there, we’d get an additional 3.5’’ slot. The top HDD cage can also house a 120mm fan, on the side facing the graphics card.

The rails Cooler Master chose are well made, but made for 3.5’’ only. We’d rather see those from the Trooper, since they can be used for both 3,5’’ and 2.5’’ formats. The Scout 2 comes with a single 3.5-to-2.5’’ carrier, that takes two 2.5’’ drives.

The Scout 2 supports CPU coolers up to 162mm tall. The Hyper 612S we chose for our testing is 163mm tall and fit inside, but barely. In general, this should be enough, because there are plenty of quality coolers below 162mm.

Users should mind the width of the CPU cooler as well. Please ensure that the width of your CPU cooler does NOT exceed the upper edge of your motherboard, or you might experience interference with the top fan on the Scout 2.

The picture below clearly shows that Hyper 612S cooling didn’t like them top panel fans.

The Scout 2 supports up to nine fans, but comes with a single, rear panel fan.

CM Storm based its decision on the fact that gamers like to build their own rigs and use their own fans, rather than rely on factory stocked ones. This is quite understandable and is something CM Storm could think about next – quality gaming fans for its cases.

The LED lights in the fan are on a separate power and can be controlled independently.

PSU will sit on rubber feet that are designed to stay in place. Foam based feet tend to fall out quickly

The Scout 2 will take pretty much any PSU, where longer than 155mm would require taking off the bottom panel fan. Still, mounting the fan here won’t be simple, what with all the cabling.

Cable management was thought out well and the holes are not blocked by motherboards. There’s plenty of room for cables behind the motherboard tray. Side panel design introduced even more room, so it was a convenient place to hide excess cabling.

On top of the motherboard tray are two holes – CPU power and fan cabling.

Locking and loading the Scout 2 was easy. Knowing our test board, EVGA’s X58 FTW 3, we made sure to mount the CPU cooler before throwing the board inside. We thought we probably won’t be able to put the cooler in later, although to be fair, EVGA X58 FTW 3’s CPU socket is almost on the edge of the board. All in all, we had fun setting up the Scout 2.

Side panels are easy to work and the side panel window gives a nice view of the Scout 2 innards.

The original Scout launched two years ago, but age has caught up with it. Lacking room and USB 3.0 connectors were reason for an overhaul and voila – the Scout 2 is here. The Scout 2 left a good impression – all in all it’s a well thought out and meticulously implemented mid tower case.

The Scout 2 kept the army-style looks but the company mellowed it out with some modern curves. Just like its predecessor, the Scout 2 has a carrying handle for easy transport.

There are some minute details that could be improved, such as dust filter handling and the likes, but the build and finishing touches are quality. It’s obvious that Cooler Master’s tradition is in good hands and the Scout 2 proves it.

Unfortunately, instead of beating the Scout, the Scout 2 falls short when it comes to cooling. However, it’s only because it comes with a single fan, while the Scout had three. CM Storm thinks most gamers go for the fans they choose and that stocking the Scout 2 with more than one was unnecessary. We must admit that we aren’t quite of that opinion, as we’d rather have the full package.

While true that practically every inch of the case breathes quality, we’d say the pricing is a bit too steep. The original Scout is available for about €70, which is €20 less than the “new guy”. The price of €96 can buy you a HAF XM case that packs more room and gear.

Having said that, the Scout 2 is a quality case we’d recommend to any gamer or user looking for a quality mid tower case. In f act, the only reason we’d tell you to hold out for a bit more would be the price. If you find it at about €85, don’t hesitate to snatch it up as the Scout 2 will serve you well and for a long time to come.

Fractal Design is a company well known for quality designed and manufactured cases. We've had a chance to try out Fractal Design cases on two occasions,Core 3000 andDefine R3, and they've left some good impressions, so let's see whether Arc Midi Tower is capable of doing the same. Arc Midi Tower launched in 2011, but since it's one excellent case, it's never to late to review it.

At a glance, Arc Midi Tower seems shorter than it is, most likely because the front panel only shows two 5.25'' bays and a mesh. That the mesh isn't small is clear from the fact it hides two 14cm fan slots. One fan comes mounted while the second one is optional. Arc Midi Tower is 460mm tall and 230mm wide.

The front panel is made of quality plastics, but is made to look aluminum-like, which the company did pretty well. For whatever reason, the finishing texture also reminded us of wood.

Other than the fact we'd rather have 5.25'' covers that are removable without taking the front panel off, we can't complain about the finishing touches and functionality. Taking off the panel is a breeze - a tug at the bottom will do. Fractal Design logo is engraved in the panel but it's nice and subtle so it makes the front panel look much better.

The control panel is on the top of the case and holds a single USB 3.0 connector, two USB 2.0 connectors, audio In\Out, power and reset keys. Fractal Design used similar mesh with wider holes for the front and top panels.

The fan is easy to take off since it's only fixed with latches. The second fan, if you choose to throw it in, uses the same method.

The control panel on the top of the front panel doesn't take up 5.25''' bays nor does it take up precious room on the top panel. We have seen many cases using the same placement but we can easily say Fractal Design is one of the pioneers of this design.

The front and top panels have foam filters that aren't intended to be taken off.

Most dust usually comes off the floor, so it's a good thing that the company used a classic mesh filter than can be easily taken out for cleaning, without having to open the case.

The feet come with antivibration pads.

As far as side panels go, the design is classic. The left panel can take a 140mm or 180mm intake fan, while the right panel has no holes. Both panels are fixed with thumb screws and taking them off is as easy as putting them back on. The panels are made of steel and are very tough.

The top panel is made entirely of mesh. Users tend to keep random things on a case and it's possible in this case as well since the panel is flat and the mesh is tough enough. Of course, that won't help much if you spill something.

The top panel houses a 140mm fan, but there is extra room for two additional 120\140mm fans. The top panel can be removed after unscrewing two screws at the end of the panel that keep it in place.

The top panel will take a dual 120mm radiator (up to 60mm thick). Top of the rear panel houses two holes for external watercooling.

With width of 230mm, Arc Midi is one of the widest mid tower cases around. That of course is a good thing since it will take pretty much any large CPU cooler. Maximum allowed CPU cooler height is 180mm.

The rear panel is characteristic for the white expansion slots. Fractal Design's cases are usually recognizable for black-white contrasts, which is the case with interior as well. Namely, the case uses white fans and fan brackets. Apart from seven horizontal expansion slots, Arc Midi has another vertical one, which can be used for the bundled fan controller.

The PSU goes in the bottom of the case and the dust filter can easily be removed.

The interior is well designed and packs plenty of room. Fractal Design painted parts of the case white, which we really like.

The case will take just any graphics card from the current generations without having to take the HDD cage out. Only the cards such as GTX 690 and a few other ones longer than 290mm will require you to take the HDD cage out. By taking it out, users will get up to 440mm of room. The bottom HDD cage is fixed and cannot be removed.

The cable management holes are wide and more cables can be routed through the same hole. Fractal Design made sure to make the hole closest to the PSU the widest one, which is good since most cabling comes from there. The grommets are tough and won't fall out easily. The company left two holes near the top of the motherboard tray, which are intended for CPU power and cooling power cables. There are two cable management holes because CPU power isn't always at the end of the board.

If the company included a few more anchors, cable management in the back would've been easier. There is about 21mm of space for cabling below the rear panel.

All the cables coming from the I\O panel are sleeved. The blue cable is the USB 3.0 one, and we're talking about a cable with an internal USB 3.0 that's most commonly found on boards.

The CPU backplate cutout was compatible with all the boards we've tried.

The front panel will take two fans. One of them comes with the case and, as you can see from the picture, is positioned to cool the top HDD cage. If you throw in the other fan, it will help with cooling of the bottom HDD cage.

If you need to mount a 3.5'' device in one of the 5.25'', you can use the included converter. We found it mounted in the first 5.25'' slot, fixed with two screws on each side, see pictures below and above.

The HDD cage can be removed by unscrewing two screws. Note that all the screws in the Arc Midi Tower are thumb screws. This usually means you don't have to use tools, but some of them were screwed in so tight that we had to use tools. Note however that this is barely a problem, since we had to do a similar thing with pretty much any case we tested.

We're no strangers to Fractal Design's brackets - the Arc Midi uses a tried and true design that is tough and uses anti-vibration pads. Each of the 3.5'' drives will take 2.5'' drives as well. These brackets require specially designed screws, which are also included.

The screws on expansion slots are also thumb screws, so no need for tools.

All of the three mounted fans have 3-pin connectors and can be controlled via the controller bundled with the Arc Midi. The eight, vertical slot is a great place for the fan controller. The fans aren't loud when running at their maximum of 1000RPM, but you can use the controller to make them even quieter.

The Arc Midi will take another five fans, on top of the three fans that come with the case. The bottom panel will take a 120\140mm fan. The holes on the bottom panel have dust filters.

We're not particularly fond of such miniature PSU stands. Still, at least the rubber pads stayed in their case. The foam around the PSU hole is a nice touch as well.

Quality keeps the price up and the Arc Midi Tower proves that. You can find the Arc Midi priced between 75 and 80 euro. The Arc Midi Tower has everything new-generation cases should have, but the looks and quality finishing are what we liked the most about this case.

First of all, the price isn't exaggerated and the quality and design definitely make it worth it. In fact, the Arc Midi definitely stands out in this price range.

Arc Midi comes with three silent 14cm fans. The fans can be controller with the included fan controller, which can run three fans simultaneously. The case will take another five fans and if you want water cooling, you can use a dual 120mm radiator on the top panel. Note that the radiator thickness is limited to 60mm.

The Arc Midi Tower will take CPU coolers up to 18cm in length and any currently available graphics card. It's possible to use eight internal 3.25''\2.25 drivers, but there are only two 5.25'' slots.

So, Fractal Design has once again proved that it makes quality cases. The Arch Midi Tower is obviously no exception and you definitely won't go wrong if you opt for it.

Today we'll examine just why Skiron is Cooltek's top mid-range case. So far we've tested several cases from Cooltek and we must admit each was better than the last, so we're hoping Skiron will deliver as well.

Skiron packs all the features a modern computer case should have, including USB 3.0 connectors, modular drive cages, plenty of room for high-end components, etc. However, Cooltek has a few aces up its sleeve that should differentiate Skiron from the competition.

The box artwork shows Skiron with white mesh design, but the case is actually black and the pictures may mislead the customers. The box is tough and Skiron arrived unharmed. The box has no cutouts for easier carrying.

Cooltek made sure to ship all the needed material that users may need while setting up their pet. There is also a short but detailed manual.

Cooltek decided to offer black/white and red/black versions of Skiron, and both come with black exterior. You can see both on the pictures below.

The large mesh on the left panel caught our eye, so we'll start there.

The mesh is protruding out of the case, which allows for CPU coolers up to 175mm tall. Additionally, this provides extra room for fans. Mounting fans on the left side panel helps with CrossFire and SLI cooling. The mesh is large enough to take four 120mm fans, or a single 180/200/220/230mm fan.

The rubber grommets are there to prevent fan noise that comes from vibration.

It would've been great if there was a dust filter on the mesh, but unfortunately this isn't the case.

The opposite, right side of Skiron also has air exhausts, although they're not meant for fans. The hole in the bottom corner is parallel with the 3.5'' cage.

The bottom part of front panel is reserved for fans, while the top part has room for three 5.25'' optical drives.

Unlike Cooltek's cases we've tested before, Skiron comes with removable 5.25'' covers, the kind that doesn't require taking off the front panel. The covers have handles that you use to take it out. Many users use at least some kind of a 3.5'' device, so shipping a 5.25''/3.5'' adapter cover is a pretty nice touch from Cooltek.

Skiron comes with four fans - a large 17cm one on the top panel (max.900RPM), one 12cm fan on the rear panel (max.1200RPM) and two 12cm fans on the front panel (max.1200RPM).

In order to reach the fans behind the front panel, we must remove the panel first. The panel is taken off by pulling it on the bottom and release it from the latches. Note however that the top panel should be removed first, otherwise the front panel latches could end up broken, picture below. Cooltek did not explain it in the user's manual, so users should be careful when removing the front panel.

Beneath the mesh is a thin layer of foam that acts as pre-filter, while the real mesh filter is in front of the fan.

The fans are taken out with the filter. The black/white version of Skiron comes with whide LEDs. The LEDs are in the front panel fans and on the top panel fan.

Power and reset keys are on the angled part on the top panel, so they're easy to reach if you keep your case under the table. Next to them are two sliders that control fan RPM.

Coltek's C.A.M.V.C. (Cooltek Advanced Modular Ventilation Concept) uses two channel fan rpm regulation with support for up to six fans. Skiron comes with four fans.

Skiron has six USB connectors. The top panel holds two USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 each, as well as audio out/in jacks.

Two USB 2.0 ports are hidden in a cleverly implemented compartment. It surely can't hurt because while USB sticks are tucked inside, you can be sure kids won't even notice it and you won't accidentally hit it and damage it. The compartment was large enough to take Corsair's pretty thick USB stick, which means that you're well covered.

You should be careful while taking the front panel off in order not to damage the USB ports.

Cooltek left another open compartment behind the I/O panel and you can use it for sticks, keys or such.

The top panel holds a 17cm fan (max. 900RPM). We got the fan mounted inside the case, but you can easily do it outside, in scenarios where you may need more room for a large CPU cooler.

Removing the top panel is done by pulling the back of the panel upwards. We were afraid we'd break something because the latches wouldn't let go easily.

On the bottom of the case, underneath the PSU slot is a removable filter. The second hole you see on the bottom of the case is another fan exhaust with a mesh over it.

Skiron has seven expansion slots. The expansion cards need to be screwed down and Cooltek provides thumb screws. The back panel comes with a 12cm fan.

Skiron packs plenty of room. It will take a CPU cooler up to 175mm and graphics up to 430mm long. If you leave the HDD cage inside, graphics can't exceed 311mm, but this is more than enough for today's high end cards. The case support ATX and mATX boards. The CPU backplate cutout is large enough and was compatible with several motherboards we've tried. The motherboard tray has a few cable management holes, but there isn't much room left behind the tray. The right side panel is 17mm away from the tray.

The grommets in the holes aren't fixed well and fall out easily when routing cables. Back of the motherboard tray could use a few more cable management anchors, since cabling must be fixed well due to restricted room; otherwise, the right panel cannot be closed. There is room left between the motherboard tray and the HDD cage. This may come in handy when using a wider motherboard that may close the cable management holes.

The cable hole next to the PSU should be wider. In fact, it didn't help us at all with our quite long 19cm Sapphire Pure Power PSU. PSUs up to 14cm long will not block the first cable hole.

The PSU stands are tiny, picture below. We'd love to see wider stands that will support longer PSUs. One rubber pad already came off when mounting our first PSU.

Below the PSU is a removable filter.

The fan on the top panel is placed right above the CPU power cable hole, so the cable is pretty difficult to pull through. The grommet on the hole fell out while we were pushing the cable through. Note that the fan can be mounted outside the top panel if it gets in your way.

Optical drives don't need crews and the toolless mechanism is quite nice. The same mechanism is on the back of the case as well.

The brackets holding 3.5'' drives are made of metal and come with rubber grommets to prevent vibration noise. The same brackets hold 2.5'' drives. The middle drive cage can easily be taken out and can be mounted on the bottom of the case.

The 2.5'' cage is unusual and perhaps even obsolete since the 3.5'' drives take 2.5'' ones as well, and all standard graphics cards already fit inside Skiron.

On the bottom of the case, below the HDD cage are air exhausts. If you choose to mount a fan there, the metal part can easily be removed.

All the fans are on 3-pn connector cables linked to fan regulators. As far as noise goes, Skiron is pretty quiet. Its cooling performance is satisfactory and if we are to pick hairs, we'd say that the cables are a bit too colorful for our taste.

Lowering the fan RPM dimms LED lighting as well, although the change won't be that noticeable.

The price range where Skiron resides (the lowest priced is currently 77 euro) lists many quality cases and Cooltek's job isn't the least bit easy. Some users prefer the looks, others look for performance or room, while most look for a quality mixture of the three.

If you choose Skiron, you won't have to worry about CPU cooler or graphics card compatibility - this is a large mid-tower case that will take anything. The case offers seven expansion slots, four stock fans and a fan RPM regulator.

Coolng performance is good but nothing remarkable. Still, we could say that the company made a good compromise between noise and performance. Besides, users who aren't content with the stock solution can always upgrade the case themselves, since it has room for additional six fans.

You can connect internal USB 3.0 cables to the motherboard's external I/O panel or you can use included converter for internal USB 3.0 connectors, which doesn't come with older USB 3.0 cases. Another thing we really liked is the front compartment with two USB ports, which is quite practical and came in really handy. Namely, you can keep your USB stick plugged in without fear of accidentally hitting it and/or breaking the port or stick.

Skiron is a well equipped case but its build quality didn't quite impress us. The chassis is tough enough but there are a few points where the company could've perhaps done better. Still, seeing as how they are not thigs of key importance, we would recommend Skiron as a case that will definitely do a good job.

Cooler Master introduced the new HAF XM on April 24. The company's HAF series is instantly recognizable, although the XM moniker is new. M stands for mid tower while the X means that HAF X was the role model for the new case.

A mere glance confirms it’s a case from the HAF family, notable for excellent cooling. It would be safe to say that HAF XM looks somewhat mellower than HAF X, which is more like an armored vehicle of some kind.

Specification:

As we’ve come to expect from Cooler Master, the packaging is good and informative. The case is also secured with Styrofoam and wrapped in a nylon bag. The box holds various screws, including the long ones required for water cooling radiators. You’ll also find a bunch of zip ties that will make cable management easy.

HAX XM is a mid-tower case. Its chassis is made of steel and it weighs 10.5kg. We see plenty air exhausts, which is typical for HAF (high air flow) series. One of the first things we noticed was a latch on the left panel. The panel is rotated by 90° and it makes taking it off and putting it back a breeze - unlatch and pull. If you’re transporting the case, you can secure the panel with additional screws.

If you like to flaunt your equipment, you may like the HAF XM with a side window better (picture below).

Note however that the windowed panel won’t take any fans. The non-window version can take one 200mm or two 120/140mm fans.

One thing where HAF XM disappointed us is dust filters. Namely, there isn’t a single filter in the true sense of the word. Cooler Master uses pieces of mesh that act as filters, and they’re not easy to take out and clean either. One such filter can be found on the left side panel.

Only the main panel is rotated and it comes with a latch. The other panel is a traditional one, i.e. you must pull it backwards to release it. Both panels have large protrusions which turned out to be quite useful.

HAF XM will take four large 200mm fans. Two such fans come with the case – one on the top and the other on the front panel. Cooler Master’s logo on the front hides the front fan.

The picture below shows HAF XM’s front panel when disassembled. The top three 5.25’’ bays are intended for 5.25’’ drives, while the bottom two were turned into the company’s X-dock hot-swap units. Optical devices require you to take of the front panel. Too bad there aren’t any converters that would help us put card readers or some other 3.5’’ gadgets into 5.25’’ slots. Cooler Master used to ship two metal rails which could do the trick but we didn’t find any in the box, despite it being quite simple to make. The front fan has a red LED, which can be turned off.

X-dock bays come with stickers that warn users they’ll have to take the panel off before taking X-docks out. You can use the X-docks for 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives.

There are no real dust filters on the front. Cooler Master opted on using only the mesh.

You’ll find two USB 3.0 connectors (internal ones), two USB 2.0 connectors as well as audio-in and audio-out jacks. All the keys are towards the top of the front panel. Left to the power key is the LED switch; reset key is on the right.

The top panel has a practical rubber padded compartment, which always comes in handy.

The top panel has two large air exhausts – one of them already comes with a 200mm fan while the other must be equipped with a 200mm or smaller fan. The entire panel can be entirely taken off after unscrewing a single screw at the end of the panel.

The top panel can hold radiators up to 240/280mm. Bear in mind that the radiator must not exceed 45mm. Fans go inside unless you want the radiator in, in which case thickness of the radiator must not exceed 33.6mm.

HAF XM is 252 mm (9.9 inch) wide which is ok. There’s a single vertical expansion slot to go with eight standard ones, but there seems to be much unused room. This suggests that tall CPUs and coolers will fit easily. We’ll say more on the following pages, as well as show you a secret drive bay in HAF XM.

Taking off the side panel revealed the interior of HAF XM and it’s quite roomy and well designed.

Although this is a midi-tower case, careful design resulted in precious space in all directions. You need not worry about the height of CPU coolers, or length of graphics cards as the case will take coolers up to 19.6cm (7.7 inches) and graphics up to 35.4cm (13.9 inches). It’s possible to extend the graphics card room to 46.3cm after taking out an internal HDD cage.

Water cooling radiator can be mounted outside or inside the top panel. The optical drive we used on the picture below is 40.2mm. This means that if you want your water radiator inside, it shouldn't be thicker than about 33.6mm

Our Hyper Z600 cooler is 160mm tall and among the taller CPU coolers. This leaves 36mm extra, meaning that some other, taller coolers will fit easily.

HAF XM will take motherboards up to E-ATX format. Below the socket is the CPU backplate cutout.

The motherboard tray has a few large holes for cable management, as well as smaller one for CPU power cabling. There are enough latches for cable management and enough zip ties to arrange cabling nicely.

One of the really interesting details is the hidden 2.5’’ bay.

HAF XM has eight 3.5’’ bays (6 internal and two in X-dock). 2.5’’ SSD/HDD drivers can be mounted in all the spots made for 3.5’’ drives. Internal drive brackets are close to the fans, so they’ll have some nice cooling.

The brackets are made of plastic but are well made. They can be bent, which makes mounting drives easier. The brackets come with rubber grommets.

The X-docks are made the same way, except with somewhat thicker plastic.

You must take the front panel off before mounting 5.25’’ drives. The mechanisms holding them are toolless. As we said earlier, there are no converters that would enable mounting 3.5’’ devices in 5.25’’ slots.

HAF XM will take any graphics card and the likes of GTX 690 or HD 7970 will fit without taking the top HDD cage out. There is room for an additional fan on the left panel, above the graphics region, just in case you need extra cooling.

The PSU goes in the bottom of the case and is nicely fixed. HAF XM will take long PSUs without trouble.

The plastic shroud you see is there to cover the cabling, a feature taken from HAF X. This gets quite useful if you don’t have a modular PSU, although HAF XM will provide plenty of ‘hiding’ space. It would’ve been great if Cooler Master used a removable dust filter beneath the PSU at least. Instead, the company used mesh, which we couldn’t reach underneath Sapphire’s Pure PSU.

The case is stable and the padded feet prevent vibration and sliding.

The front of the case glows red when running. The small light indicators are below the On/Off, reset and LED keys.

HAF XM is CoolerMaster’s new case which looks to fill the void between the full tower HAF X and mid tower HAF 932. Many users found HAF X to be too large and HAF 932 too small, prompting the company to launch the mid tower HAF XM which packs some nice room.

HAF XM will take motherboards up to E-ATX format, CPU coolers up to 19.6cm or any graphics card (will take up to three dual slot graphics cards). Two 200mm and one 140mm fan are in charge of cooling. They’re not loud, quite the contrary, they make a mean airflow considering the fact that they’re pretty quite. If you’re thinking about further fans, HAF XM has room for a total of four 20mm fans. The top panel will take a 240/280mm radiator.

One of the new designer details, for which we hope to become a standard feature of Cooler Master’s cases, is the rotated side panel, which makes accessing the innards of the case a breeze. Note that only the left panel is rotated, while the right one is traditional. Cooler Master made sure that it stands out from the competition by including a hidden 2.5’’ drive on the back of the motherboard tray as well as throw in two X-docks (hot swap bays). The case comes with USB 3.0 ports with an internal connector.

You’ll also find a plastic shroud, which neatly covers the PSU and the cabling. Of course, users who get a windowed version should like this feature much better. We had the regular version and must admit we’d much rather have real dust filters instead of the shroud, rather than a mesh that is difficult to remove.

Nit picking aside, HAF XM is a quality product. The plastic is tough; all the metal parts are black and there are no rough edges. HAF XM boasts a somewhat mellower military look of its older brother HAF X, which may in fact attract more users. Note that while HAF XM doesn’t bring anything revolutionary, it doesn’t skimp on features either. It is a quality product and one of the roomiest mid tower cases around. Suggested pricing is €100 or $100 before VAT but unfortunately, you may have to wait a bit for availability to get better. Bottom line is, the case is a beauty and definitely worth looking at.

Switch 810 is high-tower computer case with enough room for large motherboards (XL-ATX, E-ATX, SSI CEB and SSI EEB), liquid cooling (with a 420mm radiator), Quad SLI or CrossFireX. Still, even though you can find other cases with these features, the overall build that we've seen on Switch 810 is what really impressed us bigtime.

The case is priced at €170, which puts in the high end segment. However, if you stay with us until the end, you'll see that the case is worth investing in. If you're skeptical, then it's probably even better.

We like the look of the box – it includes nice and descriptive images.

The user manual is descriptive and packs plenty of pictures. Switch 810 comes with all the screws you'll need.

Thumb screws were not in plastic bags but rather screwed into the drive cage, which is fine since we at least know where they are. In fact, that's how Alienware did it on some cases five or more years ago, and we really liked the fact that NZXT did the same.

Switch 810 measures 595mm x 235mm x 585mm. This is a high tower computer case and it weighs in at 9.1 kg. The white color scheme looks pretty appealing. Furthermore, NZXT used quality glossy plastics, so it's quite hard to tell what's made of plastic and what's made of metal, especially at a glance. We checked of course and the front and top panels are made of plastic.

Glossy plastic panelling across the top and the front is stylish but very sensitive to scratches. Thankfully, NZXT opted on black rubber finish around its top and front panels which not only makes it look good but saves the edges as well.

In general the Switch 810’s front panel is quality made with a lot of features. Like with all better cases, there’s no need to take the entire panel off just to mount a DVD drive – all you need to do is remove the bay covers and you’re good to go. Out of the box, Switch 810 will take three 5.25” optical drives, whereas the fourth 5.25'' serves as a hot-swap unit for 3.5''/2.5'' drives. Naturally, you can take the hot-swap unit out and use the bay for any 5.25'' device. At a glance, Switch 810 looks like it has 5 bays on the front panel, but the top one is actually the I/O panel.

I/O is hidden behind the flip-up cover. Here we have two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, an SD memory card reader, one audio and one mic jack, reset switch and LED toggle switch for turning on and off two LEDs that illuminates the rear I/O panel. The LEDs on the rear panel are an unusual feature, but they sure came in handy in the dark.

NZXT could've come up with a better flip-up cover. The picture below shows that you literally have to lift the cover with your fingers, which is not easy. In fact, you'll have to first push the top part inside quite deep before you can grab the cover. In comparison, the flip-up on Corsair's Obsidian 800D is very similar but is opened downwards, making it much easier to open it.

Removing the filter on the front panel couldn't have been simpler - a slight push on the top will do - you'll hear a click and the filter can be removed.

The front panel has been designed to fit into the glossy look. Only after checking out the case from the sides will you see that there are air inlets between the black rubber-coated edges and filter masks.

One 140mm fan is standard on the front panel (it serves as intake fan) while the second fan is optional.

The picture below shows the mechanism that's used for air filters (one on the front, one on top and two bottom filters). The mechanisms are made of plastic so it would've been a nice touch if NZXT offered a spare one.

On the bottom of the case are two filters and they can be easily removed. A slight push inwards will release the mechanism and the filter will slide out enough for you to grab it and take it out.

The On/Off button is on the top panel (picture below). Next to it is the HDD LED and Power LED.

The top panel has a mechanism that allows you to close the air ventilation ports when the computer isn’t on and keep the dust out. The idea is for users to choose between maximum airflow and silence.

The air ventilation ports can be opened or closed via the lever on the back of the top panel.

The left side has a large transparent acrylic panel that's mounted on inside latches, so everything is nice and flush.

Note that the panel was protected with nylon covers on both sides.

You'll notice the mesh grills on the bottom of the case, and they reminded us of spoilers on cars. In this case, it helps the case draw fresh air from the bottom.

Perhaps the most interesting part as far as side panels go is the third screw. Two screws are enough to keep the panels in place, but we all usually leave only one just to keep it from opening. This is where the "third screw" comes in - it allows users to open panels quickly and without using tools.

The following photos show NZXT's mechanism for locking side panels. The screw is inside a mechanism that allows for vertical movement. A spring in the mechanism pushes the screw back up after you push it down. All you need to do is pull the screw to the hole and then remove side panels. This is a very practical and useful feature, but still only one of many that make Switch 810 a great case.

The side panels are mounted easily and there is no sliding mechanism, which tends to be problematic. The panel is simply placed into the chassis and fastened with two screws on the other end, or just by the aforementioned third screw if you intend to remove it again soon. The panel edges are thicker to prevent it from warping.

It's quite useful that the rear panel fan (14cm) can be moved up and down and adjusted to the CPU cooler's position. Nine expansion slots and four water-cooling holes will give enthusiasts some serious freedom for their high end components.

The LEDs on the rear panel are very useful and can be turned off in case you don't need them or simply turned on whenever you need them.

There are two white LEDs on the panel, one above the motherboard's I/O panel and the other above the expansion slots.

There are two large filters that can be removed easily. In the last few reviews, we complained about having to lift cases in order to remove bottom filters but Switch 810 is different. All you need to do is press at the center of the filter (picture below) and the mechanism will release the filter far enough for you to grab and take out.

Switch 810 is very stable thanks to its rubber-coated feet. Since the case almost touches the floor, the only way to provide air on the bottom is use mesh grills. We actually liked this as it will prevent dust from collecting beneath the case.

NZXT’s experience in making computer cases is evident on every single inch of the case. The interior is laid out great.

The case will take graphics cards up to 35cm without having to remove the HDD cage or 37cm long graphics card (without the internal fan). Furthermore, Switch 810 supports CPU coolers up to 195mm tall, and will take as much as three water-cooling radiators - a large 360/420mm on top, 140/240mm on bottom and a single fan radiator on the rear panel. No matter the motherboard you opt for (XL-ATX is supported), there will still be plenty of room for tucking away cables and throwing in other components.

Stand-off screws does not come pre-installed, but it is easy to screw them with a help of the small thumb screw, which was made especially for easy stand-off screwing in or removing.

Tripe or quad GPU configuration is an option here, as we have 9 expansion slots on our disposal. The slots have small exhausts for better ventilation. The cards are held in place by large thumbscrews.

The motherboard tray has a big CPU backplate cutout, but it wasn’t compatible with all of our motherboards. The following picture shows MSI's DKA790GX motherboard. Intel's new Socket 2011 doesn't care much for access to CPU backplate cutouts, since it comes with a fixed backplate that will support all newer CPU coolers.

You can maximize Switch 810’s cooling by adding more fans, as the case supports up to 10. However, we’re happy with the fact that Switch 810 comes with four preinstalled 14cm fans.

The fan on the rear panel can be moved up or down in order to maximize cooling efficiency of CPU coolers.

The top panel holds a single fan but packs enough room for another two 14cm fans.

The fans can be mounted on top of the top panel in order to make room for a 360/420mm water cooling system.

Prior to mounting a 420mm radiator, you'll need to make some slight modifications, i.e. take out the top 5.25'' bay. Thankfully, Switch 810's modular design makes this task a piece of cake.

The top 5.25” drive bay can be taken out by unscrewing the screws highlighted on the picture below.

The front I/O panel hangs on the outside of the case (picture below) so as not to block long radiators.

The strange parts that look like periscopes on top of the case are actually an HDD LED and Power LED, while the box-like part is the On/Off key.

Switch 810 has four 5.25’’ bays. Bottommost 5.25“ bay is an HDD docking bay that acts as a hot-swap unit. Unfortunately, we cannot show you this since our test sample lacks a hot-swap connector and it seems as if someone simply forgot to include it in the package.

Again unfortunately, this is not the only thing that's missing on our Switch 810. Namely, the topmost bay should come with a bezel that covers the optical drive. The first picture below shows how the optical drive bezel looks on the reference Switch 810 case. The picture after that one shows that our Switch 810 only comes with standard covers on 5.25'' bays. The cover over the HDD docking bay comes with air inlets.

There’s no need to take the entire panel off just to mount a DVD drive – all you need to do is remove the bay covers and you’re good to go. The front panel 5.25” drive bay covers can be removed by grabbing them from the sides, pushing inwards and pulling. The plastic is tough but bends just enough to ensure easy handling.

Installing 5.25” devices is easy. The toolles mechanism works well. You'll find spare thumb screws screwed into the HDD cage, which is something we saw in Alienware's cases some five or six years ago. We're glad that NZXT left spare screws here because they'll always be within reach and you won't lose them. There are some cables hanging from the I/O panel, but there is enough room for them not to get in the way of mounting drives in topmost 5.25'' bay.

There are two removable HDD cages, each with three bays for 3.5” or 2.5” drives. HDD cage on the front comes with a cage handle for easier removal. Note that you'll first need to unscrew four screws that hold the cage.

Once the lower HDD cage is removed, there is room for 140 or 240mm radiators on the bottom panel.

The drives are mounted in the HDD cage from the back.

You’ll find anti-vibration grommets in every bay. While the plastic brackets are quite tough, I personally didn't like the mounting system since the grommets move and are hard to set in the right position. Still, they performed their main task well, which is preventing vibration.

The HDD cage has a pivot fan that can be angled to blow air onto graphics cards and CPU coolers. This is definitely a nice way to improve airflow inside the case.

We had some problems while angling this fan since it is set a bit too low and leans on the bottom HDD cage. The picture below shows that the fan stretches outside of its frame on the HDD cage. NZTX said that the sample we received is a pre-production one and that this will not be the case with retail versions.

All cables that come from the I/O panel, as well as fan cables, are sleeved for better looks and easier cable management. Switch 810 comes with internal USB 3.0 connectors. We liked the fact that the e-SATA connector on the front I/O panel uses SATA power rather than Molex.

We have about 17mm free space to work with in the back. There are ten wide holes for cable management. You'll find plenty of clips and notches on the back of the motherboard tray for tying cables.

Internal fan extension PCB (power hub) will come in handy when installing additional fans, but it would be nice to see some fan controllers here as well. The power hub is on the picture below and, as you can see, it's mounted on the back of the motherboard.

Just like the other three fans in Switch 810, the fan on the front panel uses a standard three-pin fan power connector. The power hub enables for powering the fans via a single peripheral Molex power connector from the PSU. The power hub will take a total of seven fans.

The PSU is on the bottom of the case. It has six stands for shorter and longer PSUs. The stands come with quality rubber grommets that don't seem to come off lightly, which wasn't the case in some other cases we tested, like Gelid's Dark Force for instance.

The PSU filter can be taken off from the back without opening the case. All the other intake spots also come with easily removable filters, that won't require you to open the case.

LEDs are cheap to install and tend to be quite a nice feature, especially when putting them in the right place, which is exactly what NZXT did. The LEDs on the rear panel can be turned off but come in quite handy when you need to connect devices to the rear USB ports in a dark room.

We were pleased with Switch 810's cooling. Perhaps the only flaw we found would be the fan noise. Closing the air slits on the top panel will knock a few dBs but we couldn't make them inaudible. If you want maximum silence, you'll need a fan regulator.

We tried to angle the pivot-fan to blow towards the graphics and CPU cooler, which resulted in 1.5°C less on the CPU and 1°C less on the graphics card. Although it doesn't seem that impressive, we often have to buy better thermal paste or even new CPU coolers in order to get such results. This time around, it only took a bit of angling.

Switch 810 is a computer case that NZXT claims will cater to more demanding gamers and enthusiasts. We would agree with this as the case really left a positive impression, both with its looks and performance. This is despite the fact that our sample suffered from lack of parts. Namely, we didn't get the hot-swap connector in the hot-swap unit; the optical drive bay bezel was missing and the pivot-fan couldn’t be rotated easily since fan brackets weren't the final, retail versions. Still, we think that Switch 810 is one of the best cases on the market. The case is available in black and white with side window.

Design quality and nice finishing touches are evident both inside and outside the case.

One of the best things about the case is the available room. Switch 810 will take CPU coolers up to 195mm tall, motherboards up to the XL-ATX standard, top panel radiators up to 42cm, etc. Both HDD cages can be taken out and replaced with a 24cm radiator (vertically or horizontally). Gamers usually make sure that a case has enough room for graphics and that it packs good cooling. Thankfully, Switch 810 has enough room to fit 35cm long graphics card (with the interior pivot fan), but if you need more, you can remove the HDD cage, which leaves about 49cm of room.

Switch 810 comes with four stock fans that are quite loud, but other than that their performance is quite good.

We've grown fond of Switch 810 due to its few simple but useful features. The first feature that sets Switch 810 apart from the competition are pivot fans for directing airflow to the VGA and CPU (one stock pivot fan comes on the top HDD cage and helped us in decreasing temperatures on our CPU and GPU). The LED on the rear panel for illuminating the I/O in the dark is great idea. If you tend to change parts often, there's a third screw that will hold the panel in place but still provide simple, easy and quick access. On top of the case you'll find adjustable Hybrid Fins that noticeably reduce noise when closed, or provide maximum airflow when open. We'd advise you to keep the Hybrid Fins closed when the computer is off, in order to keep dust out.

Switch 810 costs €170, which may seem a bit steep at a glance. However, we're talking about NZXT here and it goes without saying that the company's expertise shows. Furthermore, this is a price that we'd gladly pay for excellent and well thought out design and a bunch of options for adding hardware and water cooling. In conclusion, hardcore PC enthusiasts will surely love NZXT's Switch 810, because it simply has everything a gamer might set his mind on.

Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions revealed the first tower case from its GAMER product line. We got the case and tested it, so today we will share our experience with our readers.

Dark Force measures 207mm in width, which means the company thought about users who like tall CPU coolers. Gamers usually make sure that a case has enough room for their graphics cards and whether it packs good cooling. Thankfully, Dark Force has enough room to fit 29cm long graphics card, but if you need more, you can remove the HDD cage, leaving 410mm of room.

The case is relatively light and weighs only 9.2kg. GELID Solutions used 0.7mm SECC steel for the body and threw in an acrylic side window and plastics-metal mesh combination for front and top panels.

We like the look of the box - it is refreshing and descriptive. Each important feature of the Dark Force computer case is written on the box.

The case was wrapped in double plastic, which we don’t particularly like for environmental reasons.

As you can see from the picture, the package also holds a box with some screws. User manual is descriptive and packs plenty of pictures.

The front panel is made mostly of plastic combined with dense metal mesh. Dark Force has four 5.25 bays. One of the bays can hold 3.5” devices when strapped with a 5.25“ to 3.5“ drive bay converter.

The same metal mesh is used for bay covers and for the lower part of the front panel. For inserting optical drives we will need to remove front panel. A simple tug on the bottom of the panel will do the trick.

The front fan is protected only by the metal mesh on the panel, although we’d rather have a denser filter such as those on the bay covers. After some closer inspection, we realized that dust filter holders are there but someone obviously forgot to insert the filter.

One GELID Solutions 120mm Silen 12 fan (1200RPM and 12V / 0.08A) serves as the intake fan, and it is placed on the bottom front.

The power and reset keys are placed on the top panel. In the same line you will find 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x eSATA, 1 x Audio and 1 x Mic.

There is a hot-swap docking station on the top panel for easy connection of 3.5” or 2.5” HDD or SSD. It is recommended to enable AHCI hard drive mode in motherboard bios before inserting drives into the dock.

The top panel can be removed as well. As you can see, most of the panel is made of plastic and metal mesh. Now we know why this case weighs only 9.2kg.

The top panel can house two 120mm fans, but they are not included by default. We found the dust filter here, something we missed on the front panel. We tried to strap the top panel filter on the front panel and almost made it – almost.

There is bunch of wires going from the I/O panel, but GELID Solutions have done nice job here by sleeving all cables in black.

There is a small plastic cap which protects connectors on the hot-swap dock. You can check out how GELID Solution laid out the I/O panel on the picture below.

The left side has a large transparent acrylic panel. It measures 361.5 x 280mm and is 3mm thick, making it easy to see every component inside. Case modders and some gamers will probably welcome the panel but GELID Solutions will probably provide a solid side panel if there is demand for it. For the time being though, this is the only version available.

The right panel has a hole for the 80 of 120mm fan, which must be 15mm thick.

The acrylic window is protected by a thin nylon film which should be taken off after inserting components in the case. Side panels are held in place by thumb screws.

The panels are tough and rigid. They are made from 0.7mm steel but they are fingerprint magnets.

We could not remove the left panel on the first try as it was stuck. As you can see from the picture below there are white traces left on the metal surface, which are a result of our pulling. However, after removing the panel ten to fifteen times, sliders softened up and removing it was not that hard any more. The right panel is closed normally.

The rear panel includes one 120mm fan, just like the one on the front panel.

Dark Force has 8+1 expansion slots and three holes for water cooling. A glance at the rear panel reveals an important thing – Dark Force is wider than classic midi-tower cases. The right side panel isn’t very close to the I/O panel, which is good as it means extra room for cable management. The expansion slot covers features air inlets and they are fixed with thumb screws, which are also used to lock expansion cards.

Bottom panel supports 120 and 240mm radiators. You can optionally place one 120/140mm fan here. There are two dust filters on the bottom, one below the fan exhaust and one below the PSU. Filters cannot be easily removed and it is easier to clean the dust from the surface.

The feet are made with anti-vibration rubber coating underneath to suppress vibration noise. The feet are stable and tall enough to allow the air to be drawn in from the bottom of the case.

Dark Force supports full-ATX / micro-ATX motherboards. The case is enough wide to house CPU coolers up to 165mm in height. Graphics cards are limited to about 29cm length, but it will support up to 410mm length once the HDD cage is removed.

You can maximize cooling Dark Force’s cooling by adding more fans, as the case supports up to 8. However, we’re not happy with the fact that Dark Force comes with only two preinstalled fans. Whether GELID Solution did their best is arguable, as many will agree. Knowing that GELID Solutions fans are quality parts, we were quite disappointed not to see at least three fans as standard. But let us look at the bright side.

There are two removable HDD cages, each with three bays for 3.5” or 2.5” drives.

The lower HDD cage can be also removed leaving room for 120 or 240mm radiators on the bottom panel.

Looking at how we grabbed the bay may look a bit funny, but it’s the easiest way to take it out.

You’ll find antivibration grommets in every bay.

You can place the seventh 3.5” drive in one of the 5.25” bays using the included converter. As we said earlier, the top panel features one external hot-swap dock, meaning that Dark Force offers eight 3.5” and eight 2.5” bays.

Installing 5.25” devices is easy except when installing it the topmost bay. There are some cables hanging from the I/O panel, which makes inserting 5.25” drives in the top bay a bit difficult. The toolles mechanism works well.

The motherboard tray has a big CPU backplate cutout, but it wasn’t compatible with all of our motherboards. GELID Solutions used rubber on cable management holes. The holes are not that big but there are enough of them to make cable management easy.

All cables that come from the I/O panel, as well as fan cables, are sleeved for better look and easier cable management. We have about 150mm free space to work with in the back.

It’s not a common feature, but Dark Force supports 80mm or 120mm fans with maximum 15mm thickness on the right side cover. You can see that the spot for this thin fan is just behind the motherboard tray cutout.

Two internal fan extension PCBs will come handy when installing additional fans, but it would be nice to see some fan controllers here as well.

We used the Velcro Fastener on the picture below to tie and hold some cables, but its real use is to keep the PSU in place.

Stand-off screws come pre-installed for full ATX motherboards. We really liked was the small thumb screw dubbed quick fix tool, which was made for easy stand-off removing. GELID Solutions opted on internal USB 3.0 pin connector.

Dual or even triple GPU configuration is an option here, as we have 8 expansion slots on our disposal. The slots have small exhausts for better ventilation. The cards are held in place by large thumbscrews. There is also a ninth expansion slot placed on the side.

Dark Force took Asus’ Rampage II Extreme motherboard (269x305 mm, 10.6" x 12"). The case has a few cable management holes in the motherboard tray but, unfortunately, our Rampage II closed off most of them. However, Dark Force won’t have trouble with any standard ATX board (Rampage II Extreme is about 2cm wider than standard.

EVGA X58 FTW3 motherboard left more cable holes open, but we still had difficulties unscrewing our CPU cooler backplate.

The PSU is on the bottom of the case and Gelid left a rubber seal that minimizes vibration and makes for a tighter fit. GELID also used Velcro Fastener that can be used to additionally secure PSUs. In our case, we used it to fix Sapphire’s Pure 1250W – the fastener eased some pressure off the screws that hold it in place.

It’s not rare that a case manufacturer underestimates the need for quality rubber grommets that should support the PSU. Dark force has four points with grommets, which are unfortunately very thin and aren’t glued well. As you can see from the photo below, they remained on the PSU when we took it out.

The PSU filter is a mesh that can be taken off once the case is laid on the side, although it’s not quite what we’d call easy.

The rest of our mounting process went without a hitch and our Dark Force was soon ready for action.

Dark Force comes with two 1200 RPM fans. The fans aren’t loud, but you’ll hear them a bit. Unfortunately, high end gaming components will require better cooling inside the case.

GELID Solutions made its first case and we must thank the company for providing us with one of the first test samples of Dark Force. The case currently goes for about €90.

Dark Force will take any graphics cards, even in SLI or Crossfire setups. It has a removable HDD cage, which extends allowed graphics card length even further. The case can house high end CPU coolers up to 16.5cm tall and there is still 1.5cm of room behind the motherboard tray for cable management. The case boasts USB 3.0 and a hot swap bay on the I/O panel, both of which will surely come in handy. So, GELID Solutions strived for all features found on better midi-tower cases. The chassis is rigid and there is a large window on the left side panel that lets you peek inside.

Users that don’t like loud fans in their case can always replace them with aftermarket fans – something GELID Solutions excels in. This is one of the reasons why we were surprised to see only two stocked fans. Furthermore, Dark Force is classified as a gamer case, yet another reason to throw in some more fans.

Truth be told, both of the fans are quiet and provide good airflow, but a powerful gaming system needs the max, which will require more fans. GELID seems to have been aware of this and they left room for a total of eight fans.

Dark Force is a good case that meets the latest standards, but the pricing does seem a bit too high. It is well worth noting that this price range and product segment are not the easiest to start from, so GELID Solutions is definitely off to a great start. The case is a price adjustment and perhaps a few more fans away from being an even more attractive and competitive product, but we still believe it has what it takes to win many users over.

You won’t realize how gargantuan Cosmos II Ultra Tower is until you have a reference point. The following photo shows it next to our favorite case – Cosmos S.

It’s obvious that Cosmos II Ultra Tower isn’t quite the successor to Cosmos S, as the two aren’t in the same category to begin with. Cosmos II Ultra Tower belongs to extreme categories of ultra-tower cases, something you don’t quite see every day. Cosmos II Ultra Tower’s specs say a lot about its unique design, e.g. the case will hold 13x 3.5’’ drives and CPU coolers up to 19cm tall.

We usually receive cases in a box carried by couriers, but this time the courier had to get help. Namely, the package is huge and the case alone weighs 22kg. The box was a bit beaten and even punctured in one spot but the case still survived.

The pictures you see on the back of the case are as big as some smaller HTPC cases. All the details are visible and nicely explained.

The case comes wrapped in Styrofoam and nylon.

The handles that made Cosmos recognizable also come on Cosmos II Ultra Tower. The Ultra Tower weighs 22kg and measures 33.4 x 70.4 x 66.4 cm (WxHxL). Having said that, it is clear that the handles will be a godsend since the case is really massive. The handles are made of iron and are attached to the chassis.

The mesh grill on the top panel can be removed, revealing room for three fans.

The top panel will take three 120mm fans, two 140mm fans or a single 200mm one. Cooler Master instaled only one 120mm fan (1200rpm, 17dBA) on the top panel.

The top panel fan is mounted from inside of the case but you can mount it on the outside as well. For instance, if you want to use a 360mm water cooling radiatior, you can do it by mounting the heat exchanger from the inside and the fans on top.

The control panel is partially covered with a sliding lid with Cosmos logo on it.

Once we pushed the lid towards the back, it slid away rapidly and stopped with a loud bang. The same happened when we slid it towards the initial position. We checked a few times and saw that the mechanism works like that without causing damage. However, Cooler Master claims that the production version of the case has a much smoother motion of the lid.

The control panel has everything you may need, including USB 3.0, eSATA connectors and a powerful fan controller.

We won’t talk about the fan controller much as Cooler Master already did it quite well. We scanned the manual and you can find it on the picture below. The fan controller will take up to 9 fans.

The front panel sliding door hides three 5.25’ and two 3.5’’/2.5’’ bays.

The door is opened with a tug downwards. Note that opening it doesn’t require force after the initiall push. Once you pull the door and let it go, it will silently slide downwards. We heard a bit of noise during the initial push but the company claims this too has been addressed on the production models.

The 5.25’’ covers look nice but are made of plastic. They are taken off by tugging the handle, which seems sturdy enough to last.

The covers for X-Docking can be locked and we received four keys. Tugging the X-Docking cover will eject the drive via a mechanic handle (make sure you’re using AHCI and hot swap).

Both the X-docking bays will only take 3.5’’ devices.

The large mesh grill on the front covers the large 200mm fan (700rpm, 19dBA) and can be easily removed for cleaning. You can replace the 200mm fan with a 140mm one, with extra room on the front-bottom for a 120mm fan.

The side panels look nice and measure about 56x57cm, which is almost like four 17’’ displays.

Both side panels are opened via handles on the rear panel.

The side panels need not be removed as they’re attached to the chassis by hinges. If the panels are getting in the way while mounting components, for instance, a slight push upwards will make them fall off the hinges.

Once the panels are closed they’re quite firm as sharp metal parts (picture below) hold it in place.

The door can be opened by 45 degrees so we didn’t remove them while mounting components.

Just like we expected, the left side panel can house fans inside.

Side panel fans are optional of course. Note that the fans you see on the picture below don’t come with the case.

The right side panel also features a similar filter, which can be removed for cleaning (rightside panel can not house fans).

The rear panel packs as much as 10 expansion slots, which means Quad-SLI or CrossFireX setups won’t be a problem. The eleventh, vertical slot has an ordinary cover. We must say we’d rather see the special StormGuard cover here. The StormGuard cover is featured on the Trooper, the case which we reviewed here, and you can use it to prevent your keyboard and mouse from being stolen.

The PSU is mounted on the bottom, but Cooler Master implemented a special slot that leaves more room inside. The extended slot looks quite nice and is flush with the case when watching from the side.

Below the PSU is a filter that can be removed without opening the case.

The metal feet are attached to the chassis and come with rubber pads. It results in Cosmos II being quite difficult to move without lifting it off the ground.

The case’s innards are physically split in two parts. The upper part will take a plethora of form factors, namely Micro-ATX, ATX, e-ATX, XL-ATX, SSI CEB and SSI EEB. The CPU backplate cutout is huge, which means that replacing CPU coolers will be a breeze as well.

The PSU goes in a separate chamber, which is also shared by additional HDD cage. Cosmos II will take a total of thirteen 3.5’’, where six goes in the bottom chamber. Drivers are cooled by two 120mm fans (1200rpm, 17dBA).

The air passes over the drives and goes out via the back side, through exhausts on right side panels. There are no metal walls that split the bottom chamber and the side panel, which makes routing cables from the PSU to the bottom HDD cage easy.

Drive brackets are the same in all cages, i.e. they take 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives.

The brackets are made of plastic but the metal mesh grill makes them look much cooler. However, we recently tested Trooper, the case that implemented brackets a bit better. Namely, the grommets on Trooper’s brackets cannot fall out, which is not the case with Cosmos II.

Two fans sit in plastic door which can be removed easily – a simple lift on the front will release them from the brackets. The fans aren’t fixed very tightly in the door, so optional grommets will come in really handy.

The bottom chamber holds two HDD cages, that can be removed by unscrewing four screws on the back. Two metal add-ons will let you mount a radiator with two fans in the place of bottom HDD cages. However, you can mount a radiator on the top and rear panels as well, so Cosmos II has you well covered there.

Optical drives are held in place by toolless mechanisms. Below the three 5.25’’ bays are X-Docking hot-swap units. X-Docking is powered via 4-pin molex cable, i.e. you’ll need two connectors on each cable because each X-Docking requires own power. We instantly remembered Obsidian 800D case, which has four hot-swap bays, where all four are powered via a single SATA.

There are enough cable management holes, which are also wide enough. Each hole has protective rubber rings held in place by metal clips. However, Cooler Master used some kind of flexible rubber that falls out occasionally when cables are pulled over it. We think that the rubber would’ve fit better if there were clips on both sides of the motherboard tray. For instance, Obsidian 800D uses much thicker rubber that doesn’t even need clips to stay in place. Cosmos II also has holes just below the top panel, which will come in handy with CPU power cables.

Cosmos II comes with 5 fans, which should be enough for most users. Naturally, the case offers much more than that and advanced users will know how to put it to good use.

When the fans are at full rpm, Cosmos II ends up being quite loud but also very cool. The noise is considerably dampened once you close the side panels. The included fan controller offers three operation modes, where the fan controller’s lights will show which mode is currently running.

Cosmos II can easily hold Quad SLI or CrossFireX setups. You can mount additional fans in the case (up to 10 fans), for instance, whereas the fan controller will take a total of nine fans.

Cooler Master invested a lot of time and effort into redesigning the Cosmos case, and Cosmos II Ultra Tower is proof that the effort paid off. Cosmos II is the largest computer case we’ve tested so far but it’s still beautiful despite the size.

Exterior design resembles the original Cosmos case, but the insides have been overhauled completely. Cosmos II has plenty of room and will take as much as three water cooling radiators or thirteen 3.5’’ drives. All motherboard types are supported and the same goes for CPU coolers up to 19cm, or graphics up to 38.5cm. Five included fans take care of cooling with a little help from the integrated fan controller.

We expected Cosmos II Ultra Tower to run perfectly. However, we received one of the first samples and Cooler Master made sure that deficiencies don’t end up in retail. Namely, we’re talking about loud sliding door mechanisms on front and top panels. As far as manufacturing and finishing touches go, Cooler Master did a grand job.

The case is great, there’s no doubt about it, but it does make you think whether it’s worth €349. If money isn’t an issue, then you shouldn’t think much as Cosmos II Ultra Tower will give you unprecedented control. In fact, we haven’t had such easy mounting procedures with any other case.

Looking at value alone, Cooler Master may be asking a bit too much. There are some cases that are as much as €100 cheaper, and although they aren’t Cosmos II, they can at least compete in many things.

All in all, Cosmos II Ultra Tower is an almost perfect case with a saucy price tag. However, the price tag doesn’t say one crucial thing – this is not the case that you’ll look to get replaced soon, so the price should not discourage you from considering it.

Fractal Design’s Define R3 case became quite popular in 2011 and it’s definitely a case worth loking at. The company tried to cater to users who like silent, tidy and stylish cases with plenty of room for 3.5’’ drives. Define R3 comes as successor to Fractal Design’s Define R2, and the company did its best to fix any shortcomings of the latter.

We tested Define R3 Black Pearl case. In case you don’t like black, or it simply doesn’t look right in your room, you can choose among the following colors: Arctic White, Black Pearl, Silwer Arrow, Titanium Grey. Note that the white Define R3 comes with white interior as well.

We didn’t even notice the accessories package and we initially thought that Fractal Design simply forgot about it. However, we found it in the top HDD tray inside. The case has a fan controller that can manage three fans.

The front panel seems simple enough but it is well made. Finishing touches are great and although the panel has a mirror finish, there aren’t that many reflections.

What you see on the picture are the plastic doors coated with aluminum film. Truth be told, the photos don’t do it much justice as it looks much better live.

A light tug on the top-right part of the front panel will open the door, which opens to the left and cannot be flipped. Behind the door is a stock 12cm fan with additional room for another one. The front panel door has no holes on it so the fans draw air from holes on the sides.

The door has a layer of foam attached to it from the inside. As for the side panels, Fractal Design opted on harder and thinner material for sound isolation, in order not to waste space inside the case.

The door is held in place by strong magnets.

You can reach the front panel fan easy by opening the additional door inside. There’s no need to remove the entire panel in order to mount optical devices. The 5.25’’ covers can be removed easily, but you should take care in order not to break them. We applied a bit too much force and managed to break one clip.

Define R3 comes with only two 5.25’’, but most users won’t need any more than that. In fact, we tend to hear about problems with lack of room for 3.5’’ drives much more than for 5.25’’ devices. Define R3 not only offers eight 3.5’’ slots by default, you can also turn one 5.25’’ slot into a 3.5’’ via the included adapter. Note that all the 3.5’’ are made to hold 2.5’’ drives as well.

The front panel fan isn’t attached directly to the chassis, but rather in a removable bracket secured with four screws.

The fan holder is made of plastic and functions as a filter at the same time. We really liked this concept as users can clean the fan as well while cleaning the filter.

Define R3 Black Pearl comes stocked with two fans. The second fan is on the rear panel. Note that both fans run at 1350 rpm.

The reset key is hidden behind the door whereas the power key is on the top panel. Unfortunately, there are no e-SATA connectors but there is a single USB 3.0 (internal connector) and two USB 2.0 ones. In the centre of the panel is a LED lamp that glows blue when the computer is on.

You probably noticed that Define R3 Black Pearl has two fan holes on the top panel, but a closer look reveals they are sealed from the inside. These two holes are there in case you decide to add more fans (120/140mm).

Many users like their cases silent so Fractal Design sealed all unused holes on top and side panels and called it ModuVent. In other words, if you want maximum performance, take the foam off and throw some fans in.

Fan controllers are usually placed on the front panel, but the foam inside the door prevented us from mounting our Scythe fan controller. This means that you’ll either have to resort to digital fan controllers or cut up some foam. Naturally, it’s much simpler to use the provided fan controller, which goes into expansion slots on the rear panel.

The left side panel holds an optional fan hole (120/140mm) whereas the right panel is fully closed.

The left side is the so called ModuVent, which means that the company used removable seals to close optional holes, until you need to use them. This is how Fractal Design managed to make the case as silent as possible.

The following photo shows the sound isolation material in the Black Pearl. The side panels are tough and are easily taken off. They’re held in place by two thumb screws.

Define R3 Black Pearl has seven expansion slots and four holes for water cooling. A look on the rear panel reveals an important thing – the Define R3 is wider than classic midi-tower cases. The right side panel isn’t very close to the I/O panel, which is good as it means extra room for cable management. The expansion slot covers are fixed with thumb screws, which are also used to lock expansion cards. You can reuse the covers and the company made sure to improve the Define R2’s covers by including air inlets.

You’ll find dust filters on the bottom panel below the PSU.

The bottom filter can be taken out for cleaning with a tug from the back of the case. It would perhaps be better if the filter had a small handle to make the task easier.

The feet are made with anti-vibration rubber coating underneath, and are stable and tall enough to allow the air to be drawn in from the bottom of the case. Although the plastic feet seem fine, they’re a bit funny as the rear ones are much smaller than the front ones.

The Define R3 Black Pearl packs enough room for mini-ITX, micro-ATX and ATX boards. At a glance, everything looks pretty nice. Fractal Design’s cases are recognizable for the white expansion slot covers and white fans. Furthermore, there are a few white details inside and we really liked the design in general.

Define R3 is 521mm long but since the HDD cage is fixed, your graphics card should not exceed 29cm. However, this is enough for all standard high-end, single GPU graphics cards (HD 6970 is 27cm long).

Our Define R3 took Asus’ Rampage II Extreme motherboard (269x305 mm, 10.6" x 12"). The case has a few cable management holes in the motherboard tray but, unfortunately, our Rampage II closed off most of them. However, the case is designed with such scenarios in mind so the cables can still be routed between the HDD cage and the tray.

The motherboard tray has a big CPU backplate cutout which will make swapping CPU coolers easy as pie.

Fractal Design used rubber on cable management holes and the CPU backplate cutout, which is a really nice touch.

If we were to pick hairs, then we’d like to see the company implement something similar to what we’ve seen on the Trooper, picture below. Namely, the rubber parts are held in place by clips.

The case has a few notches for cable management on the back of the motherboard tray, but they are positioned a bit too close to each other. Again, we must mention the Trooper, as the case has a much better distribution of the notches (picture above).

Above the CPU backplate cutout is a smaller but very practical hole for the CPU power cable.

Define R3 is wider than most mid-tower computer cases, which means that it will easily take taller CPU coolers (up to 165mm).

The sound isolation material on the side panels is only a few millimeters thick so it won’t get in the way of coolers or make cable management difficult.

The exhausts on the top panel are closed, just like those on the left, but unscrewing four screws will make room for 12cm/14cm fan. What’s great about this case is that, although it aims for silence, it can easily be optimized for maximum airflow.

The front panel can be removed but mounting 5.25’’ drives will only require taking of the covers. Optical drives are fixed with thumb screws, as the company didn’t include a toolless mechanism. Most of the screws in the case are big-head ones, so you won’t be needing tools. We must admit we didn’t miss a toolless mechanism because screws beat badly implemented locking mechanisms any day.

The 3.5’’ cage cannot be removed, but it’s very tough. You’ll find grommets in every bay but they’ll only work for 3.5’’ drives (2.5’’ SSD drives don’t make vibrations). Each of the bays will take 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives.

The PSU is mounted on the bottom and you’ll find a rubber seal for suppressing vibration noise. Pure 1250W is 19cm long so we had to take the dust filter out. However, standard PSUs will fit without problems.

When running at maximum rpm, the fans aren’t quite what we’d call unbearably loud but they’re still audible. Thankfully, the fan controller can, and in our case did, take care of that as we lowered the rpm to make them barely audible.

Fractal Design is one of computer case manufacturers who favor quality and functionality over pure quantity of features. Define R3 is built on the company’s Define R2 case, which was quite popular, but is getting a bit old. Define R3 comes with improved airflow, newer fans, better and thinner isolation material, bigger CPU backplate cutout to ensure maximum compatibility with motherboards, more cable management holes, improved finish, and more.

Where Define R3 really beats the rest of the competition is its versatility. The company calls it ModuVent design – air exhausts come sealed and with sound isolation but users can unseal them and improve airflow in a minute. Many manufacturers of silent cases opt out of having exhausts on top or side panels to make a case even quieter. Define R3, on the other hand, has two exhausts on the top panel and another optional one on the left. If users need more airflow – they can have it in minutes.

Define R3 comes with two fans that provide nice airflow, but are loud. However, you can make them quieter via the provided fan controller. You may need another one or two fans if you’re looking to build a high-end rig, but bear in mind that Define R3 Black Pearl will take as much as seven.

There’s room inside for high end rigs based on ATX motherboards. The case will take maximum 29cm graphics, which should be enough for most users. All standard single GPU graphics cards (including HD 6970 and GTX 580) are shorter than that. You can use CPU coolers up to 16.5cm tall, so most high end coolers are compatible as well.

Define R3 Black Pearl is black but you can choose between Arctic White, Black Pearl, Silver Arrow and Titanium Grey. Fractal Design really did a good job and we’ll remember Define R3 as one of the better computer cases in 2011.

Cooler Master’s CM Storm division definitely aims at gamers with style and its products are well made, durable and stylish as well. The latest product coming from CM Storm is called the Trooper, and it only takes a glance to realize that your hardware will be nicely secured inside.

The Trooper is a full tower computer case. It’s made mostly of steel and although it weighs 13.7kg (net weight), the handle on top of the case allows for easy transport.

Extended sides and the handle mean that the case is aimed at gamers who like to attend LAN parties. Of course, the Trooper is not only about good looks, as it packs many latest and greatest features.

We saw that the package took a very hard hit, breaking the Styrofoam protection on several places. Luckily, there was no visible damage and only after we dismantled the case did we see that the plastic part we found on the floor comes from the top panel.

Cooler Master ships plenty of accessories with its cases. Since this is a full tower case, you’ll get one 8-pin CPU extension cord, few metal rails for mounting floppys or additional 3.5’’ driver, eight 3.5’’ brackets (which usually come mounted but can now be found in the box), eight zip ties, motherboard speaker and all the screws you’ll ever need. The manual is quite clear on all the aspects of using the Trooper.

The front and top panels are quite detailed and unique. The first thing that grabbed our attention is the control panel and the handle. Note that although the handle seems a bit uncomfortable, it is not. In fact, it’s quite comfortable and carrying the Trooper definitely did not feel like carrying 13.7kg.

The carrying handle comes rubber coated but is actually made of metal and connected to the main chassis – in other word, it’s as tough as they get. The top panel holds a silent 200mm fan. Although the top panel shroud can be taken off, there is no need for that as the dust filter beneath can be taken out for cleaning.

When we first opened the case we noticed that the protective Styrofoam is damaged and that two smaller plastic parts fell out. At a glance, the Trooper seemed just fine, but further inspection revealed that the parts come from the top panel.

The top panel plastics is tough enough and only one plastic column was damaged. The top panel is held in place with six latches and four columns so missing one will not be a problem. On the other hand, the Trooper has proven it’s quite a combative case.

The control panel is nicely designed and accessible. On top of the front panel, just below the control panel, is a 2.5’’ hot-swap unit called the X-Dock. The panel also has a digital rpm controller, which allows for rpm control of the four fans and six regimes of operation.

The front panel has no dust filters since each of the nine mesh grill drive bay covers acts as a filter. A thin and tightly woven mesh grill can be found inside the covers and you can simply blow the dust off. One cover has a 3.5’’ drive cutout that may come in handy for a floppy drive or card reader, whereas the package also holds a 5.25’’ converter.

The front panel drive bay covers can be removed by grabbing them from the sides, pushing inwards and pulling. The plastic is tough but bends just enough to ensure easy handling.

The top three covers hide the 5.25’’ bays; the next six hide two 4-in-3 cages whereas the bottom one covers a secret drawer.

The Trooper’s front panel is quality made so there’s no need to take the entire panel off just to mount a DVD drive – all you need to do is remove the cover and you’re good to go. In case you have more than three 5.25’’ drives, removing one 4-in-3 cage will make room for another three 5.25’’ devices (or, of course, six 5.25’’ drives if you remove both 4-in-3 cages). While we don’t think anyone will need that many 5.25’’ devices, it’s comforting to know it’s still possible.

Once both 4-in-3 cages are taken out, there is enough room to mount a 480mm (Quad) watercooling radiator. The Trooper is about 482mm tall (measured from the inside).

The secret drawer on the bottom holds some spare parts for the Trooper. There is plenty of room inside and our Sentinel ZeroG gaming mouse (40mm tall) fit like a glove.

The left and right side panels look alike and have large mesh grill parts. However, the mesh part is larger on the left side panel, which will also take two 12cm fans. CM Storm uses special long screws for mounting fans and the company ships eight with the Trooper.

The fans that cool the 3.5’’ drives draw air through inlets on the left side panel while hot air exists freely through the grill on the right side panel.

Two layers of mesh grill on the side panels acts as a filter. The left side panel weighs about 1.6kg while the right is about 60g heavier due to less mesh and more metal. Both panels are very tough and, more importantly, can be removed and mounted easily.

The rear panel has nine expansion card holes, which means it will allow for three or four dual slot cards in CrossFire or SLI. The tenth, vertical expansion slot has a special mouse and keyboard anti-theft system. The vertical slot can also be used for CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps lighting) or similar. The rear panel holds a single 14cm fan.

The PSU is mounted on the bottom with an external dust filter below it. We had some minor issues with removing the filter as 2cm, which is the distance from the floor to the case, was not enough to reach underneath the case and release the filter. So, you’ll have to lift the case a bit. The same goes for the other, larger filter on the bottom of the case.

The feet are made of plastic with anti-vibration rubber coating underneath. Although the feet seem fine, we were surprised to see them made of plastic rather than metal.

The Trooper is a full tower case that will take XL-ATX, ATX and mini-ATX motherboards. It packs plenty of space and brings a few innovative features as well. There are no toolless mechanisms on expansion slots or 5.25’’, but we prefer screws anyway and since all the screws are thumb screws, mounting equipment is a piece of cake.

While most well designed cases boast a removable HDD cage, the Trooper went a step further. Namely, the case has two 4-in-3 HDD cages where each can hold four 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives. The cages can be removed or rotated. The picture above shows the HDD cage in two different positions.

Both HDD cages come with 12cm fans. Both cages face the left side panel by default. However, you can improve cooling by turning the HDD cage to face the front panel, in order to take in fresh air.

The HDD cage fans come with red LED lamps that can be turned off via the control panel.

One HDD cage can be replaced with three 5.25’’ devices, meaning that the Trooper will take nine 5.25’’ drives.

We said that the HDD cage will take a total of eight 3.5’’ drives but the converter allows for an extra 3.5’’ spot in one of the 5.25’’ bays.

The metal plates that keep the HDD cages in place come with rubber anti-vibration grommets. The drive brackets also suppress vibration via rubber grommets.

CM Storm constructed new drive brackets that are very flexible in the middle, making mounting a breeze. Once the drive is placed inside, the brackets are quite tough. The rubber grommets are fixed inside so they won’t be falling out during mounting.

Cooler Master made sure that each metal part is clearly marked for users to know how to turn the parts before mounting.

Mounting CPU coolers on an already mounted motherboard in the Trooper is a piece of cake thanks to the large cutout we wanted to see for a while now. Namely, the motherboard tray is made of thick metal so the large cutout will not affect rigidity of the tray.

The cable management holes are wide enough and large, whereas additional notches on the back of the motherboard tray are definitely a welcome feature. Although many cases had problems with rubber parts on cable holes falling out, Cooler Master used its old trick of securing them with metal latches.

The cables from the front panel have two USB 3.0 connectors among them, although they’re only for connecting to Intel’s internal USB 3.0 header. There are no additional converters for connecting the ports to USB 3.0 connectors on motherboard I/O panels.

There is about 2cm of room beneath the right side panel, so you won’t lack room for cable management in the back.

The bottom panel has a small 2.5’’ drive cage that can hold four drives. This cage can be removed and replaced with two 12cm fans.

The Trooper easily managed EVGA’s X58 4-way SLI (XL-ATX) motherboard, HD 6970 graphics and Thermalright’s HR-02 CPU cooler. The maximum allowed graphics card length (without taking the HDD cage out) cards is 322mm. As for CPU coolers, the Trooper will allow for coolers up to 186mm tall. The fans are quite loud when running at maximum rpm but can be made quieter. Naturally, we did not expect complete silence from a gaming case with plenty of inlets/outlets as it’s the cooling performance that matters.

The Trooper is a computer case that will definitely grab your attention as it’s one of the best designed gaming cases we’ve seen so far. Those who opt on the Trooper will not only get a chance to brag about a great case but will also be able to carry it to LAN parties, thanks to the built in handle.

There is plenty of room inside the Trooper to mount XL-ATX motherboards, longest graphics cards (SLI and CrossFire), CPU coolers up to 186mm, etc. The cooling performance offered by the four standard fans is good but the company left room for additional fans or water cooling. The integrated digital fan controller with six predefined operation regimes will take care of rpm management. Thanks to the fans with red LED lamps, the Trooper looks even meaner while gaming.

If you’re looking for a case that will take plenty of drives, then Trooper should definitely top your list as it can take up to 14 SSDs, 9 HDDs or 9 5.25’’ drives. The case has all the standard interfaces for storage and the front panel holds two USB 3.0 connectors and e-Sata, as well as one X-Dock docking station for 2.5’’ HDD/SSD drives.

We must admit that the Trooper woke up the gamer in us, so while you’re reading this review, we’re knee deep into gaming because, let’s face it – who’d say no to this.

Hanjung is a Korean brand and a new name among computer case manufacturers. Thanks to pc-cooling.de, we got our hands on Hanjung TR300 EX case and are about to try it out. The design is pretty interesting but Hanjung did a good job in keeping up with the competition quality-wise.

Among other things, the TR300 EX packs four fans, USB 3.0 connector and hot-swap unit. The case is priced at about €59.

The package took quite a few tough hits in transport but, thankfully, the TR300 EX arrived unscathed.

All the accessories are in a plastic zip bag, the contents of which are on the following picture. The user manual is a single A4 sheet of paper, so many details were left unexplained

The TR300 EX weighs 7.7kg. It measures about 230x496x482mm (W x L x H). We included the add-on on the left side panel in the measurements.

One side panel has a 12cm fan that will come in handy with hot graphics cards, SLI or CrossFire setups. Since the fan is technically outside the case, it won’t get in the way of tall CPU coolers.

Hanjung offers a version of the case with a classic, metal side panel, which is dubbed the TR300.

We were pretty pleased with build quality of the TR300 EX, despite the few minor oversights. Hanjung used plastics of lesser quality in order to knock the price down, but the plastic is still tough enough and has a quality finish. The left side panel, entire top panel and parts of the front panel are made of plastics.

One of the minor issues we’ve found is that fact that users must break the metal covers on the expansion slots on the back of the case. While this is not a too hard task in itself, we’d advise users to get some gloves in order to do this. Namely, the covers are tough and not easy to take out. The TR300 EX has seven expansion slots in total.

Next to each of the slots is a blue square, suggesting that there is a toolless mechanism for expansion cards.

The thick blue cable you see on the picture below is that of USB 3.0 connectors coming from the control panel. This cable should be connected to a USB 3.0 connector on motherboards. Hanjung already showed how to take the cable out of the case.

Hanjung made sure that the case has adequate cooling and the TR300 EX comes with four fans. The first fan is on the rear panel; second is on the front panel; third on top whereas the fourth is the one sitting in the left panel.

The front panel fan is a blue LED one and will glow through the mesh grill on the front. There are also some LEDs on top of the front panel, which show up as a blue line when the computer is running.

The front panel has four 5.25’’ optical drive bays and there’s also the 5.25’’ to 3.5’’ adapter. As you can see, the front panel was spared of holding any keys or connectors. Power and reset keys were instead moved to the top control panel, which also holds the connectors.

All the connectors are lined up on the left edge of the panel. You’ll tell the USB 3.0 connectors from 2.0 by color, as the 3.0 connectors are blue while 2.0 ones are black.

The top of the front panel holds a hot-swap unit that’s used for quickly connecting 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives. The drives are removed by a simple tug, although it’s not as simple as it sounds since there is very little room for grabbing and pulling the drive with your hands. Hanjung could have perhaps used a mechanism for this - even a simple one would’ve done well. When the hot-swap unit is not used, you can use the room for smaller gadgets such as phones or USB sticks. In order to prevent slipping and sliding, Hanjung included a rubber pad in the accessories bag.

The TR300 EX also comes with fan regulation. Unfortunately, Hanjung used a button that only allows for two fan speed choices – fast or slow. All the fans use standard, three pin connectors so users can use their own fan controllers or connect the fans straight to the mobo.

The largest fan is a 200mm one and is hidden in the top panel.

The top panel hole (between the flaps and connectors) can be used to mount a 3-in-1 adapter and there is a cable hole in the middle of it. To the right is the fan speed control key.

The TR300 EX has rubber feet. Below the PSU is an air outlet, protected with a mesh grill filter. The filter cannot be removed for cleaning.

The case is 428mm tall, meaning it’s one of the taller midi-tower cases. However, the TR300 EX is actually taller than standard cases in this class due to the tall top panel shroud. Hanjing decided to use a large 20cm fan, which was placed in the top panel mask.

The picture shows that the TR300 EX has some nice room inside. The width of the case is enough for CPU coolers up to 16cm in height. The left side panel holds a 12cm fan, but it has been moved outside the case in a special panel add-on in order not to get in the way of taller CPU coolers. Our Cooler Master Hyper Z600 (16cm tall) fit like a glove, and you can also see that there are a few centimeters left between the CPU cooler and top panel fan.

Although drive bays and brackets cannot be removed, the TR300 EX will take HD 6970 cards, which are 27cm long. Unfortunately, the longest card around, Radeon HD 6990 (30.7cm), will not fit due to the maximum allowed length of about 30.3cm.

The metal motherboard tray features a CPU backplate cutout and there is plenty of room and holes for cable management.

The backplate cutout could have been a bit bigger, since some motherboards’ CPU sockets are slightly moved towards memory modules.

We had no trouble mounting Asus Rampage II Extreme mobo, which is an extended ATX board measuring 30.5cm x 26.9cm. As you can see from the picture, the holes for cable management are not blocked and can still be used. The backplate cutout was enough for easy CPU cooler mounting.

Hanjung included an extension 4/8 pin CPU power cable, which is a nice gesture since most PSUs don’t have a long enough 4/8 pin 12V CPU cable for it to be routed via the back of the case. The only thing that Hanjung could have done is to make the cable hole a bit wider. Note that you should route the cable before mounting the mobo.

We found three out of four fans connected to the controller, whereas the fourth fan (on the side panel) should be connected once all the components are in place. The fan controller is inside the case on the top panel and, as we said before, allows for two fixed modes of operation – fast or slow.

The plastic part of the top panel can be removed in case you decide you fans need cleaning.

The front panel can also be removed, which you’ll have to do when mounting optical drives.

The front panel comes with foam filters behind the mesh grill face. The front panel fan has its own filter as well.

The TR300 EX has the following fans: 12cm HM1225CLS 12V 0.16A Sleeve Bearing on the front panel; 12cm HM1225ASL 12V 0.16A Sleeve Bearing on rear and side panel and 20cm HM2030ASM 12V 0.42A Sleeve Bearing on the top panel. The fans can be quiet or loud, depending on the operation mode. When slow, they’re almost inaudible although they’re not too loud in fast mode either.

Almost all the 3.5’’ and 5.25’’ drive slots come with toolless fastening mechanisms, which secure both sides of the drive – a nice touch indeed. There are no anti-vibration grommets but we were more surprised by the fact that the 3.5’’ drive brackets have no room intended for 2.5’’ drives. One such drive can be placed in the hot-swap bay on the top panel or the adapter in one 5.25’’ slot.

The 3.5’’ drive cage is fixed and will take six drives, whereas the seventh one can be placed via the adapter in 5.25’’.

The PSU goes in the bottom of the case and is placed on rubber grommets. The TR300 EX will take the longest PSUs without problems.

Graphics or other expansion cards can be locked without using screws. Unfortunately, coolers of most of the cards we’ve tried prevented the mechanism from fully locking. Truth be told, the cards were secured nicely after all, but we’d still advise you to take them out in transport, or at least put in a screw just in case.

To be fair, there’s no better locking mechanism than the good old screw – so we’d rather have that solution than a half functional locking mechanism.

The TR300 EX is the first Hanjung’s case we tested. Hanjung is a Korean brand but can be found in stores around the globe. The TR300 EX costs about €59 and although it’s not a famous brand, we’re sure users will latch on and see that the case is a really well designed product.

Hanjung went for the best bang per buck ratio, so the TR300 EX boasts quite a few features. There is plenty of room inside for tall CPU coolers and longer graphics and the cooling is adequate as well.

Bearing in mind the price and the fact that the TR300 EX comes with four fans, USB 3.0 and a hot-swap unit, it seems as Hanjung is on the right track to become many a user’s favorite. We’d like to thank PC-Cooling.de who kindly provided us with the testing sample of Hanjung’s TR300 EX case. You can order it here.